Project information

Help People Work Their Own Way Out of Poverty

Lendwithcare from CARE International is a revolutionary way to help some of the world’s poorest people work their way out of poverty with dignity. Small loans allow them to start or grow their businesses, and to improve their lives. Our project will expand Lendwithcare to two new countries.

Charity information: CARE International UK

Need

Poor people often have no access to services provided by formal financial institutions such as banks. With so few salaried work opportunities, they are often self-employed micro-entrepreneurs working from home. Typically they operate small businesses like market stalls, and in rural areas focus on livelihoods such as food processing or agriculture. Without access to financial services like loans, they cannot grow their family’s income and are trapped in a cycle of poverty.

Solution

Lendwithcare has made small loans to nearly 90,000 people across 11 countries. By expanding to 2 new countries we expect to provide 2,460 people with small loans in 2019, allowing them to access the funding needed to run and grow their businesses. They will be able to better plan business activities, manage cash flow, build their assets and protect against risks. The microloans Lendwithcare make are seen as a long-term sustainable way to help poor people work their own way out of poverty.

Aim 1

To expand CARE International's Lendwithcare micro-finance program to two additional countries.

Activities

» In each country, select financially robust Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs) with strong social development missions to partner with. » Conduct 4 due diligence trips to carry out intense scrutiny of potential MFI partners and their financial accounts, and meet the people they lend to. » Support new micro-finance partners in each country with relevant financial and technical support. » Carry out monitoring and evaluation activities in each country to ensure the chosen MFIs continue to meet our eligibility criteria.

What success will look like

The success of this aim will be demonstrated by the expansion of our Lendwithcare micro-finance program into two new countries.

Impact

When poor people have access to financial services like loans, they can improve their lives by increasing their income and breaking out of the cycle of poverty. Small loans can contribute to women’s empowerment by creating extra opportunities for women to earn money (about two-thirds of micro-finance clients worldwide are women). We will conduct an impact assessment to see if and how lives have improved, and a social rating of our partners.

Risk

A weak Micro-finance Institute partner could affect the success of this project. This will be mitigated by carrying out thorough due-diligence before the selection of partners is made. This includes desk-based and in-country analysis of their operations, and financial and social performance. We will speak to the local CARE International country office and other organisations to understand the reputation of potential partners. We also have an eligibility criteria that all partners must meet.

Reporting

We will regularly update donors on the project and CARE’s wider work via email and in our supporter newsletter.

Location

The project will be in two developing countries, the location of which we have not yet finalised. They are likely to be two of the following: Guatemala, Tanzania, Egypt, Jordan (for Syrian refugees) or Uganda.

Beneficiaries

Poor and low-income people in developing countries who need access to small loans to start or grow their business. For example, someone who wants to buy items in bulk for their market stall in order to earn enough to feed and educate their family. Over 70% of those who will benefit are women.

Why Us?

CARE International has been working to fight poverty for over 70 years and has over 30 years experience in micro-finance. Our Lendwithcare initiative has proven to be successful but we need funding to expand and help even more people work their own way out of poverty.